Douluo Continent, my martial soul is a mushroom.

Chapter 16 Joining Forces to Fight the Bear

Li Yusong led Chi Ping and Dai Mubai to an open space of more than 200 square meters. On the east side of the open space, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties was sitting in a chair, dozing off.

Li Yusong told the two to wait in the center of the open space. He walked up to the big man and slapped him on the shoulder without any politeness.

"Zhao Wuji! Wake up!"

The burly man was startled awake by the slap and jumped up in a flash.

Looking around, it resembled a bear suddenly awakened from hibernation.

I only relaxed when I saw Li Yusong.

"It's you, Lao Li! Tsk! Why did you scare me for no reason!"

Li Yusong said coldly, "The boss ordered you to guard the fourth checkpoint, and you dared to sleep!"

"No one's been coming all this time, so what are these two brats...?" Zhao Wuji quickly dodged the question and changed the subject.

Li Yusong was too lazy to argue with Zhao Wuji. Looking at Chi and Dai, his eyes softened noticeably: "These are this year's little monsters. This one is called Dai Mubai, with a level 28 White Tiger Martial Soul. This one is called Chi Ping, with a level 28 Fluorescent Mushroom Martial Soul."

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up, and his gaze focused on the two people in the center of the arena.

He was not tall and had an ordinary appearance, but he looked extremely sturdy.

His broad shoulders were like city walls, and his coat could not hide his strong muscles that looked like they were cast in steel. Although his expression was amiable, his muscular physique gave people a strong sense of pressure.

"Wow! This is really rare! Two of these monsters, which are seldom seen even normally, have appeared this year!"

As Zhao Wuji spoke, he walked to the center of the field.

"You little brats! My name is Zhao Wuji, and I'm the examiner for this fourth assessment. If you pass this assessment, you'll be students of Shrek Academy!"

Seeing this, Li Yusong stepped aside, thought for a moment, and then left towards a house where smoke was rising from the chimney.

"Teacher Zhao Wuji, may I ask what the content of this assessment is?" Chi Ping asked.

Zhao Wuji's amused gaze swept over the two of them as he smiled and said, "Practical combat experience is essential for every Soul Master's strength. What I'm testing is your ability in this area. I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to get to know each other and discuss things. After that, the test will begin. The test involves the two of you working together to withstand my attacks for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. As long as one of you can last until the end, you'll pass. I hope you understand that you shouldn't try to take shortcuts; no one can escape this area by speed. At the same time, I can also remind you that you cannot withstand my attacks alone. Mutual coordination and cooperation are your only chance of success."

After Zhao Wuji finished speaking, he pulled out an incense stick from somewhere, flicked his finger at the tip, and lit it directly. In the blink of an eye, the incense stick was stuck into the ground without trembling at all.

He then stood still and closed his eyes to rest.

Compared to Zhao Wuji's relaxed and stress-free demeanor, Chi Ping and Dai Mubai both frowned.

"Let's come this way."

Zhao Wuji secretly opened his eyes and watched as Chi Ping and Dai Mubai ran to the edge of the arena and whispered to each other, but he didn't think much of it. Who was he? The mighty Immovable King Zhao Wuji, a level 72 Soul Saint! Could he really be defeated by two little kids?

This assessment is only to determine the actual combat abilities of Chi Ping and Dai Mubai. As long as Chi Ping and Dai Mubai are not the kind of useless people who have grown up in a greenhouse, Zhao Wuji will go easy on them when necessary.

—Little guy, you're not a monster, Shrek Academy won't take you in!

"Mu Bai, that Teacher Li is a Soul Emperor, I think this Teacher Zhao Wuji must also be very strong! He is very likely also a Soul Emperor, or even stronger!" Chi Ping said seriously.

Dai Mubai, his face also stern, said, "He should be Zhao Wuji, the Immovable King, whose martial soul is the Mighty Vajra Bear, and he is a battle soul master. It is said that he once had a grudge against the Spirit Hall, and the Spirit Hall wanted to punish him, but he managed to break through the encirclement of sixteen bishops. Later, that matter was left unresolved. The bishops of the Spirit Hall are at least level sixty or above, Soul Emperor level experts, while Zhao Wuji should only be in his sixties at that time."

"Do you know anything about Teacher Zhao?"

Dai Mubai shook his head slightly, "That's all I know. I don't know much more. Fudo Myoo has been missing for nearly ten years, and there isn't much information left behind."

Chi Ping pondered for a moment and said, "That's enough!"

Ten years ago, he managed to escape from an attack by more than ten powerful opponents of the same level, so Teacher Zhao's spirit ring configuration must have been very high, and his spirit power was close to level 70. Let's assume he is now a Spirit Saint, with a top-tier spirit ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, and three black rings. However, this is just an assessment, so he certainly won't use his full strength. He probably won't use his ten-thousand-year spirit rings, but we can't rule out the possibility that he might be pushed to the limit.

Secondly, Teacher Zhao has extremely rich combat experience; ordinary tactics cannot fool him. To pass the assessment, one must either achieve victory through surprise or possess sufficient raw strength.

Third, Teacher Zhao is a Battle Soul Master. I know some information about the Mighty Vajra Bear Martial Soul; it boasts high attack, high defense, and high strength, making it extremely difficult to break through our defenses at our level. However, its speed is relatively slow, a weakness that even Soul Saints would find hard to overcome. But given his track record, Teacher Zhao should have a way to overcome this speed disadvantage. Ranged attacks, slowing us down—it's likely a combination of both.”

After Chi Ping finished speaking, he looked at Dai Mubai and asked, "Mubai, how do you plan to fight?"

Chi Ping's words startled Dai Mubai, who quickly whispered, "What do you think?"

Chi Ping was very satisfied with his performance; he had gained the upper hand in the relationship between the two.

Chi Ping continued, "Let's first discuss our respective soul skills and roles, and then decide how to fight. I'll go first. My martial soul is the Glowing Mushroom, and my two soul skills are the Life Surge White Mushroom and the Indestructible Golden Mushroom. The former can be taken orally to heal injuries, while the latter, when crushed, can form a light element shield that can withstand attacks from a hundred-year soul ring of the same level. I can also remotely control the Golden Mushroom to activate it."

"My total soul power is high, and it recovers quickly, so I can provide an unlimited supply of both types of mushrooms. In addition, I have mastered a set of combat soul skills, making my close-combat level comparable to that of a Soul Master of the same level."

Dai Mubai frowned: "Are you serious?"

It was clear from his expression that he didn't have much faith in Chi Ping's self-introduction. For a food-type Soul Master to claim his combat strength was equivalent to a battle-type Soul Master was simply illogical.

"I have no reason to lie about something like this."

Considering Chi Ping's calm and composed demeanor today, Dai Mubai began to believe Chi Ping's words to some extent.

"Alright, I'll trust you this time. My martial soul is the White Tiger. My first soul skill is White Tiger Protective Barrier, which enhances my defense. My second soul skill is White Tiger Blazing Light Wave, a ranged attack soul skill. The White Tiger martial soul is a top-tier beast martial soul, and its combat power is among the best of its kind."

"Very good, we have two options: one is to focus on dodging and defense, and wait until the time it takes for an incense stick to burn; the other is to defend and counterattack."

"Can't we just attack directly?"

"The gap is too large; attacking against attack is completely useless."

Dai Mubai knew that Chi Ping was right, but he felt a little uncomfortable. Playing the defensive role like a turtle was really not his style.

"Could I spar with him for a round first? I want to see the difference between myself and a Soul Saint. Besides, if I don't take the initiative, will I be seen as lacking courage?"

Chi Ping said, "That makes sense."

Dai Mubai was overjoyed that he had managed to persuade Chi Ping.

"Then I'll take the lead in the attack, and you'll support me!"

"No problem. We can do it this way..."

……

"Have you reached an agreement yet!" Zhao Wuji's loud voice rang out. The two turned around and saw that the incense stick on the ground had burned to the end.

Chi Ping took a deep breath, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Wuji, and solemnly said, "Teacher Zhao, please enlighten me!"

Dai Mubai followed suit.

Zhao Wuji's lips curled into a slight smile. Who wouldn't like a polite student? However…

"The enemy won't show mercy just because you're polite!"

"But you are not an enemy, so etiquette is necessary," Chi Ping said earnestly, then took two steps back and retreated behind Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai understood immediately and shouted, "Teacher Zhao, we're ready!"

Zhao Wuji stood there, took out another incense stick, and lit it in the same way.

"Life surges like a white mushroom, indestructible like a golden mushroom." The instant the incense landed, Chi Ping activated his soul skill, and one white mushroom and three golden mushrooms appeared in his hand.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

A burst of intense, pale white light suddenly erupted from Dai Mubai's body. His arms stretched out to the sides, his chest puffed out, and his bones cracked and popped. His muscles bulged, straining against his clothes. Every muscle became extremely visible beneath his clothes, and even the air around him seemed to become turbulent.

His once-golden hair instantly turned into a mix of black and white, with white making up the majority and a few strands of black hair standing out prominently. Four faint lines appeared on his forehead, three horizontal and one vertical, forming the Chinese character for "king".

His hands underwent the most dramatic change, more than doubling in size. White fur covered his entire palms, and with each flick of his fingers, dagger-like claws extended and retracted from his hands. Each claw was like a blade, a full eight inches long, gleaming with a sinister, cold light.

Dai Mubai turned his head and opened his mouth.

Chi Ping quickly stuffed the white mushroom into his mouth, while the golden mushroom was placed behind him. Milky white mycelium with fine golden threads fell from the cuff of his martial arts uniform, securing the golden mushroom firmly.

Dai Mubai turned his head again, used his hind legs to propel himself forward, and pounced on Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji grinned and strode forward. He gathered his earth-yellow soul power in his palms and caught the tiger's claw with his bare hands.

"Good lad, you've got some strength! But compared to me, you're still a long way off!"

Zhao Wuji laughed loudly, and with a forceful swing of his palms, he threw Dai Mubai flying.

shave!

Finger gun!

When Dai Mubai cleared his view, what appeared before Zhao Wuji was a palm strike radiating golden light!

(End of this chapter)